Bathing-boat.



0. M. JOHNSON.

BATHING BOAT.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 23, 1912.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

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C. M. JOHNSON.

BATHING BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23, 1912.

1,080,635, Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS :cLummA PLANOURAPH CD-.WAS|I1NOTON. 4 c

G. M. JOHNSON.

BATHING BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23, 1012.

1,080,635,, Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

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C. M. JOHNSON.

BATHING BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1912.

1,080,635, Patented Dec.9, 1913.

4 SHEETSSHEBT 4.

INVENTOR 6;\ ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANouRAPH ($0.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE M. JOHNSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNSINKABLE BATHING BOAT COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BATHING-BOAT.

Application filed September 23, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLAUDE M. J onNsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Bathing-Boat, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to pro vide a boat of the character mentioned, having a supporting section which may be submerged at will, to form an inclosed bathing area arranged to PIQXQIllZ accident to the bather; to provide a pleasure boat having a deck through which water freely passes, and means for, at will, submerging a portion of the deck, for bathing purposes; to provide a boat of the character mentioned with a motor-actuated propelling means; and to provide means for steering or guiding a boat of the character mentioned.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a boat constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention, showing in dotted lines the bathing deck in its raised position; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sec tion taken on the line 22 in Fig. 3, showing in full lines the bathing deck in low ered position; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a boat constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken on the line 4l-4 in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section of a modified form of the invention; and Fig. 7 is a cross section of a fragment of the structure shown in Fig. 6, the section being taken on the line 77 in Fig. 6.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the boat is provided with two air-tight hulls 10, structurally connected and held in parallel relation as in a catamaran. The hulls are each provided with a keel 11, upon which is mounted a rudder 12. The hulls are each provided with stanchions 13, said stanchions being erected on the gunwale of each hull Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Serial No. 721,351.

at the side adjacent the other hull. The stanchions 13 are connected at the top by rails 1i, and are held in position by braces 15 and 16. The end stanchions 13 of both hulls are connected by cross rails 17 and 18. The rails 17 and 18 are suitably maintained on the hulls 10 in relatively rigid parallel arrangement. In this, the rails 17 and 18 are assisted by deck-beams 19, 19 and 20. Said deck-beams are crossed by deck-planks 21, which are laid fore and aft and are spaced apart, as best seen in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to provide for the quick drainage of any water taken upon the deck. As seen best in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the main deck is that formed by the planks 21 and mounted upon the deck beams 19, 19 and 20.

Forward of the main deck above described is an auxiliary or bathing deck, composed of planks 22, which, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, are disposed crosswise and securely fastened to stringers 23. The bathing deck thus formed is provided with suitable hinges 24 mounted upon the rail 18, adjacent the bow of the boat. It is the purpose to permit the rear end of the bathing deck to drop into, and to be submerged in, the water, to be supported there by a cable 25 and an apron formed by slats 26 and the header 27 thereof. The apron formed by the slats 2G is pivotally secured to the deckbeam 20 by means of hinges 28. This position of the hinges 2S such that when the apron is lifted to a horizontal position, it rests snugly beneath the forward declcbeam 19. The header 27 of said apron is so arranged that it extends below the stringers 23, while a cleat 29, with which the stringers 23 is provided, extends beneath the slats 2(3 of the apron. Mounted upon the cleat 29 are pulleys 30, under which is reeved the cable 25. The cable 25 is wound upon a drum 31, having a manually-operative crank handle 32. It is obvious that when the handle 32 is manipulated to wind the cable 25 on the drum 31, the cleat 29 lifts the apron and the slats 26 thereof as the bathing deck is lifted. Connected with the handle 32 is a ratchet wheel 33. To engage the teeth of the wheel 33, there is provided a pawl 34, which is adapted to hold the drum 31 and cable 25 connected therewith in any desired position,

to immerse the bathing deck to greater or lesser depth.

The bathing deck is normally supported by uprights 35, which are mounted upon the external stringers 23 of Said deck and are reinforced by braces 36. The uprights 35 are constructed from superposed braces spaced apart to straddle the rails 14, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. Said uprights are provided with a series of perforations 37 which are adapted to register with perforations 38 in the rails 14. To secure in holding relation the uprights 35 and rails 14, there is provided for each upright a pin 39. As an additional reinforce for the uprights 35, the. tie-rods 40 are furnished, which connect the tops of the uprights 35 and the outer ends of the stringers 23.

As will be observed by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, when the bathing deck is in the lowered position, as therein shown, the braces 36, 36 and the tie rods 40 constitute at each side or edge of the bathing deck, a rail, which, when the boat is in service, prevents a person resting on the bathing deck from being swept below the hulls 10.

The boat above described is driven by a motor, which is shown as being mounted within a motor casing 41. The casing 41 is provided to preserve the motor from contacting with the flying water. The motor drives the shaft 42, which, as seen best in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, is suspended between the hulls 10, there being provided for this purpose a bracket arm 43, at the end whereof is formed a bearing 44., At the end of the shaft 42, a propeller 45 is mounted. The motor is of the internal combustion type, and the fuel for said motor is carried in a tank 46, disposed at the end of the vessel.

It will be understood that the boat herein described is intended as a pleasure craft, and is to be employed as a pleasure-giving device for bathers. The person steering the boat is provided with a seat 47 adjacent the steering wheel 48. The steering wheel 48 is, for convenience, mounted upon the motor casing 41. The rudders 12 are connected by a spreader bar 49. The spreader bar 49 is suitably provided with eyelets 50, 50, which are employed for attaching the ends of a cable 51. The cable 51 is reeved over guide pulleys 52, and is wound upon the Windlass connected with the wheel 48. Under usual service conditions, the occupants of the boat are costumed in bathing suits, so that the wash or splash of the water does no damage. The motor is started, and the boat is driven by the propeller 45, and guided by manipulation of the wheel 48. At any time, the occupants of the boat may, by releasing the pawl 34 from the ratchet wheel 33, permit the bathing deck at the forward end of the boat to drop to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The bather now, by stepping onto the inclined deck formed by the planks 22, is immersed in the water. If the boat be in motion, it will be seen that the person receives a sensation as if swimming rapidly through the water. When the speed of the boat is increased, the bather, by grasping with his hands the planks 22, may permit as much of his body to be immersed within the rushing water as he desires. The depth, to withincertain fixed limits, of the water above the bathing deck, may be regulated or controlled by setting said deck and the uprights 35 thereof by means of the pins 39. The sensation of being carried rapidly through the water, as such a boat is capable of producing is an exciting and agreeable one. When it is desired that the bathing shall be discontinued, the bathing deck is raised, the attendant, for this purpose, manipulating the handle 32 until the stringers 23 are raised to a horizontal position, to rest snugly below the forward rail 18 and the forward deck beam 19.

During the operation of bathing as above described, the danger of accident is eliminated by the apron formed by the slats 26', which, if the ba-ther loses his grip of the planks 22, saves him from being washed rearward off said boat. The safety elements of the braces 36, the uprights 35 and the tie-rods 40 has been above alluded to. Thus, it is arranged that if a bather should lose his grip upon the planks 22 and be swept therefrom, he is prevented from being lost by said apron and the side members referred to. In the raised position of the bathing deck, the apron 26 is likewise raised, and the washway for the water between the hulls 10, 10 is clear. The boat is now freed from any drag which would impede its headway, and may then be used for cruising.

In the modified form of the invention as disclosed in Figs. 6 and 7, a horizontal staging is shown, which forms, when raised, the deck between the hulls 10, and when submerged, the floor of the submerged portion of the vehicle. This staging is constructed from a number of parallel rails 53, connected transversely by slats 54. Adjacent both ends of the vessel are provided aprons constructed from the stringers 23 and the planks 22. The staging formed by the rails 53 and the slats 54 is supportedat either side by a frame having vertical rails 55, connected at the upper and lower ends by cross rails 56. On each of the cross rails 56 are mounted pulleys 57. Over the pulleys 57 is extended a continuous belt cable 58; The cable 58 is given two or more wraps upon a winch pulley 59 mounted in the side The shaft 60 ofthe rail 14 of the vessel;

pulley 59 is furnished with a crank handle 61, by which the said shaft and pulley mounted thereon are manipulated. The frames formed by the rails and 56 are guided in their vertical movement by guide rollers (32 and 63, the former being rotatively mounted on the hulls 10, and the latter similarly mounted on the rails 14. The rollers 62 and 63 are so exposed that the movement of the frame is accurately perpendicular to the hulls 10, holding the staging connected therewith parallel to the surface of the water in which the hulls are floated. To brace the staging and the rails thereof, I have furnished truss rods 64.

When the invention is constructed in the modified form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the attendant may at any time, by turning the winch pulley 59, raise or lower the staging, to vary the depth of submergencc of said staging. In this manner, the staging may be arranged for small children or for adults. By lifting the staging to a level flush with the decks of the hulls 10, said staging serves as a convenient deck for the entire vessel. In this position, the stringers 23 are held in parallel relation to the rails 53, said stringers sliding between the end slats 54, which are superposed on the rails In the modified form of the invention as shown in Fig. 6, the propeller I5 is preferably mounted on a shaft 66 mounted in bearings at the lower end of the suspension frame 67. The frame (37 is suspended from declebeams 68, upon which are carried the motor housing 69 and pilots seat 70. The pilots seat is suitably disposed with reference to the steering wheel 48. It will be noted that the propeller 45 is mounted at the forward end of the shaft (36, this arrangement providing the preferred condition of operation of the propeller; that is, where the propeller operates in clear weather. At the opposite or following end of the shaft 66 is provided a miter wheel 71, which is constantly engaged by a mated wheel 72 on the driving shaft 73 operatively connected with the motor in the housing (59.

The operation and employment of the modified form of the invention is in all essentials the same as that above described with reference to the preferred form.

In some cases, and particularly in large boats, such as herein referred to as the modified form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, I provide and employ ladders 74. The ladders 7 1 are used by bat-hers who see fit to swim off from the deck of the boat. These ladders are provided with hinges 75 at the edge of the hulls 10. The upper ends of the strings of the ladders are chamfered to form a surface 76, which permits the ladders to rest over against the rails 14 when the ladders are housed, as shown at the right side of Fig.

7 of the drawings. It will be understood that while I have shown the ladders 74L as applied to the modified form only, the same may be applied to the preferred form without varying the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A boat of the character mentioned, comprising a plurality of hulls; a framing structure rigidly connecting said hulls in spaced apart and parallel relation; a main deck rigidly mounted upon, and bridging the space between, said hulls; a bathing deck pivotally mounted upon said framing structure to move vertically between said hulls; means mounted upon said hulls for raising and lowering-the rear end of said bathing deck to submerge the same; and an apron pivotally mounted upon said main deck and loosely connected with said bathing deck to extend across the space between said decks when the bathing deck is submerged.

2. A bathing boat, comprising a plu 'ality of floating hulls, spaced apart; a deck member pivotally mounted upon and at the forward end of said lmlls and at approximately the deck level thereof; means for lowering the free end of said deck member below the water in which said hulls are floated; hand holds mounted on said deck member to be gripped by a person bathing; and means for propelling said hulls to float the body of a bathcr from said deck member.

3. A bathing boat, comprising a plurality of floating hulls, spaced apart; an inclined deck connecting said bulls and rearwardly depressed, said deck being inclined, to form a rest for the body of a bathcr when the boat is at rest or slowly moved; hand-holds mounted on said deck to be gripped by a bathcr; and means for propelling said boat with force suflicient to lift the body of the bather from said deck.

4-. A bathing boat, comprising a plurality of floating hulls, spaced apart in parallel relation; an inclined perforated deck connecting said hulls, the forward end of said deck being near the \vater-level, and the rear end of said deck being depressed; means provided on said deck for the convenience of a bathcr to grip the same; and means for propelling said boat through the water wit-h force sullicient to lift the body of the bathcr 011' said inclined deck.

A bathing boat, comprising a plurality of floating hulls, spaced apart in parallel relation; a deck uniting said hulls and having a rigid and a movable section, said sections being arranged longitudinally; means for depressing the rearward end of said movable section to extend the desired distance below the water-level, said movable section being perforated to permit the water to pass freely therethrough, means'forming hand-grips for a bather to hold said movable section; and means for propellingthe boat through the water with force suflicient to lift'the body of the bather from said movable section.

6. A bathing boat, comprising a-plurality of'fioating hulls spaced apart in parallel relation; a deck uniting said hulls, and having a rigid and a movable section, said sectionsbeing arranged longitudinally; means for depressing the rearward end of said movable-section to extend the desired distance below the water-level, said movable section being perforated to permit the-water tmpass freely therethrough; means forming hand-grips for-a bather to hold said movable section; means connected with the'rear end ofthe'movable section extending above the water-level to prevent the loss of a batherif disengaged from said'movable section; and a connective structure embodying suitably perforated aprons uniting said rigid and movable sections at the rear of said movable section to catch a floating body when disengaged from said movable section.

7. A bathing boat, comprising a plurality of floating hulls spaced apart in parallel relation; a rigid deck section uniting said hulls above the water level; an auxiliary deck pivotally mounted upon and connecting saidhulls forward of said rigiddeck section and at a level therewith; and means'for elevating the rear end ofsaid auxiliary deck to'a -level with said. rigid decksection.

8. A bathing boat, comprising a plurality of floating hulls spaced apart in parallel relation; a rigid deck section uniting said hulls above the water level; an auxiliary deck pivotally mounted upon and uniting said hulls forward of said rigid deck section and at a level therewith; means for elevating the rear end of said auxiliary deck to a level with said rigid deck section; and an apron pivotally connected with said rigid deck section and loosely connected with said auxiliary deck, said apron forminga guard .to preventtheloss ofa bather if'disengagedfrom said auxiliary deck.

'9. A bathingkboat, comprising a plurality of floating hullsspaced apart in parallel relation;'=a connective structu're for said hulls, embodying a rigid deck section extending therebetween above the water-level of said hulls; an auxiliary deck section pivotally mounted above said hulls, at the forward end thereof, at approximately thelevel of said rigid decksection; a perforated apron pivotally'inounted upon said rigid deck section and loosely connected with the free end of said auxiliary deck section; means mounted on said gh-ulls {fOI :submerging the rear end of :said auxiliary deck section; means providing hand-holds on said {auxiliary deck :section,'for bathersto hold thereto and 1 means-for propelling said boatwith force sufiicient'for the Water to liftv the body of the bather from said auxiliary deck section.

:10. A bathing boat, comprising a plurality of floating hulls spaced apart in parallel relation; a connective structure for said hulls, embodying a rigid deck section extending therebet-ween above the water-level of said hulls; an auxiliary deck section pivotally mounted above said hulls, at the forward end thereof, at. appi'roximately'the level of said rigid deck section; a perforated apron pivotally mounted upon said rigid decksection and'loosely connected with the free end of said auxiliary :deck'section; means mounted on said hulls for submerging the rear end of said auxiliary deck section; means providing hand holdson said auxiliary decksection, forbathers to hold thereto; and means for locking said auxiliary deck section in inclined position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nameto this specification int-he presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLAUDE JOHNSON.

Witnesses VF. Mnnnoox, PHILIP Drltonnrmns.

Copies of -this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing the Commissionerof'latents, Washington, 1250; 

